When this happened yesterday, I knew I had to share it with you all…
Small town Nebraska. I’m driving home after work; pull up to a stop sign and look both ways. While I’m waiting for traffic, I notice the people walking up and down the sidewalk. Mothers with little kids. An older gentleman walking home from the store. A couple of teenage girl giggling, immersed in their own world…
And walking away from me down the block I see this kid. He looks about thirteen or fourteen, toe-headed, high-top sneakers and white gym socks. And a full-length red cape.
Just like Superman. Or Superboy, to be more precise.
Now let me explain why I’m still thinking about this fifteen hours later. He was not a little kid. Little kids will wear all sorts of get-ups when they’re playing…teenage boys, to my knowledge, are not prone to put themselves in situations which could be embarrassing in any way. Secondly, he was alone. Happy as you please, but alone. Had he been in a group or with a couple other kids I wouldn’t have thought any thing about it. People have a tendancy to be more daring when they’ve got friends around.
And probably the most interesting thing about the whole scenario was that I didn’t think it was odd at first. It took a few seconds for that logical inner voice to do a double take. My initial instinct was NOT to be surprised or think he was weird.
What I ended up deciding was that he was probably the coolest person I’ve ever seen in this place. To have the nerve or the lack of social intimidation to go out wearing a red cape. Now, this may not be a big deal in other places, but in sleepy little towns you just don’t see that kind of thing.
I wish it would happen more often. I told the eleven year old in the house and his response pretty much summed up my own feelings, “How cool is THAT? Awesome.”
The whole thing was uplifting in a strange way. Am I totally loony? I know he was real…I only imagine dragons and knights in full armor. Never kids in red capes.
In case he turns out to be the real thing…I’ll keep you posted.
struuter
What strikes me as sad, though, is that he’s likely to be taunted by his “peers” who can’t tolerate someone who’s not exactly like them. I hope this kid has the self assurance and guts to continue to just be himself.
I’m not sure I’ll get it right but I believe someone here is currently using this as a sig:
“The only thing a nonconformist hates more than a conformist is another nonconformist who does not conform the the prevailing standards of nonconformity” (or words to that effect)
That is really really cool. And I hope he manages to keep it up, cuz you can bet he gets mocked for it. Unless he’s the ubercool type, who has the awe of his peers, too. There are a few of those types out there. Anyway, awesome story, awesome kid.
OldBroad,
I think you hit the nail there. As far as me, anyway. I was that kind of kid. I saw what everyone else was doing and ran as fast as I could in the opposite direction. Now I’m an old chick with a family and…sadly, that part of me has been pushed aside for the sake of adult responsiblities. I think that kid was a strange sort of wake-up call to me. I didn’t think he was odd because I am drawn to the unusual.
There is a bliss in shaking off the normality of yourself and for a brief moment basking in the warmth of being an individual…not another lemming.
My mother used to ask my why I wasn’t like other kids (not that she didn’t appreciate my individuality) and I would always answer that being like other people just for the sake of being like them didn’t make sense to me. (Now that last sentence didn’t make sense either…I know) I never wanted to do things just because. I wanted whatever I did to be motivated by my own choosing…even if it happened to be what everyone else was doing.
Maybe I lost sight of that…I don’t want my kids to be lemmings.
There’s a guy in my town, a burb west of Chi, who regularly goes around in full S-man regalia. Cape, blue body suit with red diaper and S emblem, and red leggings to give the impression of boots. Was a bit striking the first time I saw him dressed that way at the public pool. I always thought he was a little off.
Thanks a lot, ChiefScott. I was actually enjoying the thread up until YOUR post. Geez…
Anyway, I’ve always wanted to be “different” in the sense that I don’t dress exactly like everyone else. The only problem is, where I’m from, we didn’t all dress alike anyway. So I guess I never really had to try. To be really different I should make a trip to Sex World and see what kind of capes (and maybe other “clothing” items) they have there.
Chief,
I thought about that. About the boy being mentally challenged. I don’t know how to say this…and so I will only pray that it comes across the way I mean it…he did not strike me as though he was. I’ve been around many people with various disabilites and he didn’t have the gait…does that make sense? Either way, it doesn’t matter because there was more about him than the cape. It was an air of…confidence? No…slaps forehead…NORMALCY. That’s it. Like it was no big deal. He was so perfectly comfortable. I had to wonder, driving away, whether it was just his natural manner or if it was the cape.
Ever see somebody and for no apparent reason just wish you were like them…even though you can’t put your finger on what it is you lack? I wanted to see the world, at that moment, through that kid’s eyes.
Every time I read your posts, you become more and more beautiful in my eyes. You are right on. He is really cool. As he gets older, people will recognize that. That’s the way that I was. I was the biggest geek in the world in elementary, but as I grew older people realized that being like everyone else was not as cool as they thought. By the time I graduated, everyone considered me their friend and peer. That really meant a lot to me, especially after enduring all the crap that I did when I was younger.
Sorry, just thought I would share that because it was slightly relevant, and it focused attention on me for a quick minute.
hits ChiefScott repeatedly about the head and body
SHEESH! I was happily reading the thread until YOU barged in, Mr. Meanie-head.
And struuter, I know what you mean…I often wish I still had that confidence to just go out and do what I want. To be who I want. Maybe I’ll get it back someday.
ChrisP,
That was one of the honest-to-god nicest compliments I have EVER been paid. If it was only meant tongue-in-cheek, DONT TELL ME! I can float on that one for a couple weeks.
Falcon,
I know what you mean. And occaisionally I listen to that little voice inside and I do something I WANT to do. So here is my very small story of one Halloween. It is my FAVORITE holiday and I took the kids to get paraphanalia for their costumes. They had big witches hats–my daughter wanted one. I realized, standing in the aisle, that I did too. So I bought it. I put it on. I wore it home in the car, into the house and for the rest of the day. It felt great.
I know I’m crazy. You’re surprised?
Sweeping out our basement that night when my husband came home, I had forgotten I had the hat still on. He took one look at me with hat on head, broom in hand and said, “That’s some picture. I always had my suspicions.”
It felt fabulous. wink
One military jacket, 1800s US style, with decorations
One velvet cloak
Now, I wear any of these given the opportunity, and have even been known to wear the shirts/trousers from the Faire outfits to work. (I love business casual).
Halloween is my favorite holiday, too. Heck, any excuse to dress up.
There’s a fellow done here that likes to wear costumes as he jogs. I’ve seen this guy dressed up as Superman, Batman, an M&M, and a viking. Friends say they’ve seen him in other costumes as well. The local paper interviewed him one day wanting to know why. His reason: he liked the way all the girls honked their car horns and blow kisses as they drive by. Can’t argue with that one.
I am amazed. I honestly thought that this would be one of those threads that slips quietly down the board with no responses. I posted it purely out of the need to share what I considered to be an interesting experience. That you enjoyed it and felt good…well, that’s just about all I could ask for.
struuter
I knew a dude in high school who went around wearing a long black cape. It actually looked pretty cool on him. He made it himself. He was also a blackbelt, so anyone who taunted him about it got their ass kicked.
